Silent Syncopation
by not silent speaking
Summary: The story of a deaf drummer whose world is filled with no one and a girl who could care less.


**Silent Syncopation**

_is the story of a deaf drummer whose world is filled with no one and a girl who could care less._

Silent_: _characterized by absence of sound; refraining from speech

Syncopation: the contraction of a word by omitting one or more sounds from the middle; shifting of the normal accent in music

I own nothing more than these words, the cliches, and the signing hands that typed them. Please enjoy.

**Chapter One: shut up**

_Bella_

"Are you serious?" he asks Jessica, snickering with his head thrown back. I shrug at them as they try to involve me, not finding anything funny about the situation. I can't say I find his shriek of a laugh pleasant either.

"Yeah. Apparently they're letting him start here instead of staying at home for school," she answers Eric, smiling herself, as if she's done something of which to be proud. "But he's so weird. I don't see why he'd even want to be here. Have you seen him around the mall or anything? He's always alone and, like, dancing to his iPod. That doesn't even make sense."

"I know, right? It's not like he can hear anything. Why does he even have one? So fucking weird," Mike interjects. "What the hell is he gonna do anyway, read our minds? Bet he's having a shitty time already."

I sigh and stare at the clock, wondering why I'm subjected to this torture day in and day out. I suppose it's my own fault for calling these people my friends. The hands only read noon, meaning I have four more hours of this before I'm free, save for the final year before I can leave Rainsbend High and Rainsbend.

"Bella?" someone calls, and I turn my attention to the front of the class. Mr. Bennett is staring at me with some expectation, and I raise my eyebrows as he continues: "Is there something you'd like to share with the class? It sure is noisy back there."

"No, Mr. Bennett," I mutter, pissed that I'm the one being blamed for the talking in the back of the class. I know better than to sit here, but I can't bring myself to be closer to the math lecture happening less than thirty feet away. The people around me laugh at my expense, but I ignore them and stand as the bell rings right then, and lunch arrives. Gathering my things, I'm out of there fast and heading to the cafeteria. Alice asked me to sit with her today and she's one of the few people I can bear to be around.

"Exciting, isn't it?" she greets in her usual fashion, brushing off any semblance of pleasantries, as soon as I catch up with her outside of class on our way to the food line. "Edward coming to school? I'm happy for him."

I blanch, almost disgusted. "I'm sorry, but am I wearing a sign that says 'I care' today?"

"No…" She frowns, and then she shakes her head at me. I feel guilty but brush it off. We are at the lunch line now and I'm ready to eat. "What's your problem?"

"Sorry. I just got called out because they were talking about it in math, and honestly, who cares about - " I begin to reply as I reach for a cherry chicken sandwich, but instead of the cool delicious meal that helps me survive the second half of the day, my hand bumps into something warm and clammy. My eyes dart up and I glare at the kid who's trying to take the last decent thing they serve here before I stop and realize at whom I'm staring.

It's him. Edward. The new kid at school. The deaf kid.

He smiles at me and lifts the sandwich, but before he can walk away with it, I yell out: "Are you seriously going to take the last one?"

I don't expect the entire hall to stop and stare, but they do. The previous whispering dies and I can feel all the eyes.

For a moment, I don't realize how stupid what I just did is. Then it really hits me. Not only can Edward not hear a thing, but he wasn't even paying attention when I yelled. He was looking at the sandwich. And now he's staring at with me, another smile on his face as his outstretched hand holds the sandwich in front of me.

With a blink, I slowly reach out and take it.

"Bella, are you seriously going to take a sandwich from a deaf boy on his first day?" Alice judges in a whisper from behind me. I hold back a flinch.

"Shut up," I mutter, nodding a thanks to Edward. His eyebrows furrow a bit, and then it hits me again. He may not hear, but he was staring intently at my lips.

He lip-read me saying shut up. To him. A deaf kid.

His head cocks slightly to the right. Without another exchange, he grabs something else and walks away, leaving me behind with a tsking Alice and a room deafened once more by gossiping whispers.

"I can't believe you'd do that. It's just a sandwich," says Alice as we walk in line behind him. I don't respond, but I don't get what is so shocking. Just because he's deaf doesn't mean I should treat him differently. Granted, I probably could have done it without the yelling, but only because he can't hear me. Other than that - nothing.

"It's not about the sandwich. It's about…" I pause and turn around, knowing she's raised an eyebrow and continues to judge. "Shut up. It's my sandwich! I was here and reaching for it. Rightfully, it should be mine."

"Even though he was ahead of you in the line."

I glare and turn back, noticing I've left a gap in the line and a lack of a certain deaf boy.

"That's not the point. Ladies first, or something."

"You're horrible." She gives a short chuckle. "You should be nicer to him. He's pretty cute, don't you think?"

I almost trip over my feet before I pay for my sandwich. "Who's the horrible one now?"

The entire lunch hour passes slowly, but the signaling bell for class to begin only signifies that the day is that much closer to being over. As melodramatic as I can be, I hate being here. I wonder briefly why Edward would choose to come here all day instead of homeschooling like he has for as long as I can remember, especially during our senior year. The only times I can remember seeing him are at church and the like. He never made an attempt to interact with other children, be it at a function or just out.

I walk into Physics class almost expecting him to be here, possibly as my partner after that entire fiasco with my luck. The bell rings and Mr. Johnson begins without any mention, so I suspect otherwise. It's odd that in such a small town, we don't share any classes, though I suppose that's better anyway. There are still some periods left, so it is possible.

My attention turns to the problem on the board, mixed with the gossip I hear around the classroom about Edward as well. Considering how much I hated people talking about it earlier, it is rather amusing that I find myself thinking about him now. Before long, this period ends too as does the rest of the day. Edward was not in any of my classes.

I walk out of my last class, Government, and head over to the cafeteria. Rosalie and I are going to the mall in a town nearby. I've wanted a new outfit for a week now and there were a few books I've had my eye on as well. As the building comes into view, I see Rosalie standing against the wall by the doorway, checking her phone. But what I notice is further down the open campus, at the administration building across from the cafeteria.

_Edward_

_I don't want one! You don't need to hire someone just for me to go to school here!_

My dad frowns and my mom shakes her head.

_Edward, you need to understand that we agreed on this. You would be allowed to come here if you had an interpreter, _he tells me, and my mom begins to nod her agreement.

_It's for your own good. You aren't_, she begins, but I cut her off.

_I'm not what? Normal? _She stops talking and my dad looks taken aback. I don't feel bad. I've fought for this long enough. _I survived a day. What makes you think any other day would differ?_

They say nothing as we stand there, and I sigh, turning my gaze away. The campus is almost abandoned, and I see empty pathways all around. Then my eyes land on two girls a short distance away. One of them is the girl from earlier. I notice her staring at me, and I smile before I remember that she told me to shut up. She hasn't smiled or waved or made any motion to acknowledge me since I saw her, though she continues to stare. I'm used to it, I guess, in this town.

Both of my parents work in this small town, and they both grew up here. They're hearing. I'm not – born deaf. My exposure to Deaf culture is limited to the weekly trips to Las Alisa, a larger city a short distance away. On more than one account, my parents have attempted to send me to the Deaf school there, but I never felt comfortable in such a confining and defining situation. I grew up in Rainsbend and the short amount of time I spent in Las Alisa showed me that the small town life suited me better. Though I'm the single deaf person here, both my parents learned ASL. From what my uncles and aunts tell me, when my parents found out I was deaf as a toddler, they dove into the research and books immediately. Workshops, conventions, lectures – it's overbearing. I'm Edward, but even at the age of 18, I feel like they think I'm Deaf and nothing else. The truth is, I am Deaf. I sign, I know the culture and people and history, and I do admit to mostly interacting with other Deaf whenever possible. But my everyday life is otherwise.

_Edward, pay attention._

I frown as I turn my eyes back to my parents, their hands waving around frantically as they continue to lecture me on the need for an interpreter who would begin tomorrow. A battle I've lost for now.

As they continue to sign, I let my eyes return to the retreating girls. In particular, the short brunette.

The girl who told a deaf kid to shut up.


End file.
